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Saturday, September 18th, 1954

Your Inner Planets

Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are all inner planets.

The Sun

The Sun plays an ever-present, life-giving role in our day to day lives here on earth, and it plays a key role in astrology too – although its role in an astrological chart can often be less important than a non-astrologer might think.

Everyone knows their Sun sign, because the Sun’s regular journey through the skies makes it easy for the lay person to work out which sign the Sun was in on their date of birth. Your Sun sign gives an overall background flavor to your personality. It tells us a lot about your ego and your basic nature, and it’s an important first and obvious clue to the nature of an astrological chart.

Find the Joy

In astrology, the Sun is associated with joy, generosity, affection, and creativity. The position of the Sun in your chart shows us where you look to find enjoyment in life.

Being associated with vitality and the life force, the Sun in a chart also speaks to us about health and energy levels. The Sun’s position in any given sign means that vitality is experienced in the manner of that sign.

Self-esteem is often assessed by looking at the position of the Sun in a chart, and particularly at the aspects made by the Sun. Lots of positive aspects to and from the Sun are likely to increase levels of confidence – but remember that the Sun’s warmth can easily become too hot. Too many easy aspects to and from the Sun can lead to arrogance and pomposity. Difficult Sun aspects tend to decrease self-esteem and self-confidence, and result in a more measured, self-critical approach to life.

On Saturday, September 18th, 1954, in Kolkata, the Sun rose in Virgo.

Sun in Virgo

Virgo is perhaps the most dutiful of all the zodiac signs, and if you were born with the Sun in Virgo, a sense of duty is a very strong part of your personality. Careful, meticulous and scrupulous, you are reliable, practical and definitely someone who has their head screwed on the right way round.

You have a wealth of nervous energy which keeps you constantly on the go, but you do suffer with worry and tension. Your confidence is not all that high, and you can be among the shyest and most reticent of signs. Usually intelligent and highly analytical, you have a great deal to offer, but you prefer to remain in the background you are often the power behind the throne, allowing others to take the credit and glory for your hard work.

Ruled by Mercury, you are an excellent communicator, and you can strip ideas and thoughts down to their barest essentials. No detail escapes you, and you are very thorough at whatever you put your mind to.

A tendency to criticize can be a problem, however not least because you turn you are your own worst critic too. Perfection is your ultimate goal, but of course nobody is perfect and this realization can eat away at you; another of the niggles which causes you to worry and fret.

In love you are very faithful and loyal, and despite your modesty, a surprisingly earthy lover Virgo is an earth sign after all. You are devoted to your partner and will do almost anything to please them, but you do often put others ahead of your own needs. A desire to be of service can quickly become an attitude of martyrdom if you are note careful.

Despite your cautious approach to life, you are actually very good at handling change, being adaptable and flexible. You like advance warning, so that you can come up with a strategy or a plan, but few things actually throw practical Virgo into chaos.

Mercury

Mercury is the great communicator and the bringer of logic. In mythology, he is typically shown with winged sandals, emphasizing his speed and swiftness. Mercury travels around the zodiac in approximately one year, like the Sun, but because his motion is a little erratic, he can spend between 14 days and 30 days in each sign. Mercury is never far from the Sun, however, and your Mercury sign will always be either the same as your Sun sign, or it will be the previous or following sign.

In an astrological chart, Mercury tells us about your mental agility and your thinking processes. Mercury’s sign position is what distinguishes a lightning fast mind from a more step by step approach to life, and it also shows us your approach to education, learning and studying. Through understanding Mercury’s position in your chart, you can learn about how you make decisions – logically or intuitively? – and about how structured or scattered your thought processes are.

What’s Your Communication Style?

Mercury also tells us a great deal about how we communicate.

During Mercury retrograde periods, communication becomes more complex for all of us, with misunderstandings more likely and technological breakdowns more frequent. However, these periods also bring blessings – the enforced slow down is another chance to reconsider something, and to return to projects which were put on hold.

Lots of positive aspects to and from Mercury suggest a personality which is very rational and able to use logic wisely. It also suggests a great natural communicator, but someone who could be seen as superficial and glib by others. By contrast, a poorly aspected Mercury can indicate someone who finds it difficult to learn or to process new information, or someone who always seems to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. A weak Mercury, however, can also allow the more imaginative and intuitive side of the brain to dominate, which can be a good thing for creative and artistic talent.

On your birthday Mercury sat in Libra.

Mercury in Libra

Mercurys placing in the natal chart gives us clues about how you think, rationalize and communicate. If you have Mercury in Libra, you communicate with an easy charm and a gentle sense of humor. You think matters through carefully, weighing up all sides of an argument, and typically find a third way without necessarily agreeing with either side of debate.

You try to avoid controversy, as you hate conflict, but this can lead to indecisiveness. When forced to make a decision one way or the other, your instinct is to retreat and to let the decision make itself not always providing the outcome you would have wished for.

You do find it difficult to focus, as you are easily distracted, and concentrated mental work does not really appeal to you a great deal. You are not a natural student, although you give it your best shot, but you simply have too many interests to narrow it down to one or two at a time. You have a lot of intellectual potential and a lively intelligence, but you often do not do yourself justice in terms of qualifications or achievements on paper. As Libra is an air sign, however, you do like to deal in ideas, and you will enjoy interesting discussions about all kinds of things. You have a wide general knowledge, but tend to lack depth in some areas.

Since you try so hard to avoid conflict, your words can be a little bit wishy washy at times, or deliberately vague. Learning to voice and then support a strongly held opinion is a lifelong challenge for those with Mercury in Libra, as you find it difficult to take a stand.

Venus

Named for the Roman goddess of love and beauty, it’s no surprise that the planet Venus represents love in an astrological chart. Venus orbits the Sun in approximately 225 days, and is never far from the Sun in the chart – your Venus sign will always be either the same as your Sun sign, or the sign before or after it.

Venus energy is feminine energy, and in every astrological chart she indicates where this feminine energy is most keenly felt – even in a man’s chart. Venus’ energy is soft, gentle and passive as a general rule, and also quite easily led. However, when Venus exercises this energy through the filter of a robust, masculine sign such as Aries, a person’s feminine side is much less passive and more assertive

Love, Harmony and All Things Sweet

Venus in the birth chart tells us a lot about your approach to love and relationships. Here we discover what attracts you – and what attracts others to you.

Venus also shows us how you bring harmony to the world around you. Venus shies away from conflict and tries diplomacy instead. Although this sweet planet has a great reputation, she’s not all love and light.

Connected with her association with pleasure is Venus’ association with money – after all, we typically need to spend or accumulate money in order to buy or facilitate pleasure. Venus’ position in the chart tells us about someone’s attitude towards personal finance. A well aspected Venus generally creates a likeable, affable personality, and someone who is quite popular socially. However, too much Venus influence in the chart can produce an insincere, shallow personality.

Venus rose in Scorpio on your birthday.

Venus in Scorpio

When the planet of love falls in Scorpio, and intense desire for intimacy is first and foremost in your mind. Highly sexed and very sensual by nature, a rewarding relationship for you has to be both emotionally and physically active. You are, however, as jealous as Scorpios reputation might suggest, and this can cause genuine problems in a relationships. Possessive too, you struggle to allow your partner to be himself or herself, and any flirting will drive you into a fury.

If someone wrongs you friend, colleague, family member or lover you find it very hard to forgive. You do not hold yourself to the same high standards, however, and can be quite manipulative in order to get what you want. You do not mind treading on toes, and will feel no guilt when others get hurt in the process.

Financially, your love of security couples with a flair for seeing the hidden, usually ensuring that you make some unusual but highly successful investments. You are certainly capable of making a great deal of money, but you are as possessive over money as you are over love, and will be quite restrictive in how much of your wealth you are willing to share.

A fascination with the mysteries of life often shows up in your creative streak, where you excel at gothic art, fantasy fiction or dark, dramatic music anything dramatic and emotional appeals to you greatly.

The Moon

The Moon, our much loved nightly companion, has always fascinated mankind. She exerts a mystical influence over our minds, as well as a physical influence on our tides, and as our nearest astrological neighbor the Moon plays a very important role in any astrological chart.

The Moon travels around the zodiac in 28 days, spending just over 2 days in each sign. Creating a Moon journal is an easy and enjoyable way to start a practical study of astrology – by doing this, you can note and record the way the Moon influences your mood during the month.

Instinctive Reaction

As the planet of instinct and emotion, the Moon sign tells us how someone feels, and how they experience life. When faced with a tricky situation, it’s your Moon which reflects whether your instinct is to run, to hide, to fight or to scheme.

Mood swings are a Moon thing, and so is the level of imagination in a chart. The way our imagination is expressed depends on the Moon sign.

Waning Gibbous

A Waning Gibbous moon is the first phase after a Full Moon, indicating a unique sense of self-reflection. You are very wise, with an innate ability to learn from your mistakes. You are an excellent teacher and communicator.

You have a deep desire to understand the world, and it can be hard for you to understand that many people do not. This doesn't make them better or worse than you, just different. This trait can make you seem arrogant or condescending, so be careful. While your intentions are good, it might not be obvious to people. Take some time to learn when it is your turn to talk, and when to leave the stage so others can shine too.

Moon in Gemini

If you were born with the Moon in Gemini, your instinct is to communicate. Whatever the situation, whatever the problem, you will try to talk your way out of it and usually successfully, it must be said. You are blessed with a way with words which is the envy of other people but take care with your sincerity, however. Its all very well saying the right thing at the right time, but people do not appreciate it when they think you do not really mean it.

Always on the go, you tend to approach your tasks in a slightly scatterbrained manner, doing a bit of this and a bit of that and bit of the other, without a coherent plan of action for this reason, you often leave things unfinished, or lose your way half way through a project and then give up on it.

The highly emotional and intuitive Moon is slightly at odds with Gemini energy, which focuses on logic and rationality. Because you do not entirely trust your emotions, your feelings can sometimes cause you more problems than they need to. If you can learn to accept your feelings without trying to rationalize them, you will reduce your stress levels no end.

The excess of energy given by this placing needs careful channelling. If your urge to communicate is in any way stifled by someone who simply wont listen, for instance, or in a situation where you feel powerless, you will quickly become anxious and nervous. Journal writing is a great way to explore and release your feelings in words, without the pressure for anyone else to have to see them.

Mars

Mars, the red planet, has been synonymous with war since ancient times – the Romans named their god of war Mars, and the Greek god of war is Ares, from where we get the name Aries, a sign closely associated with Mars.

As you might expect, therefore, Mars in the natal chart is the planet of anger and aggression – but there’s much more to this planet than this. Red is also associated with love, and Mars astrologically represents the sex drive and passion.

Mars spends around two years completing an orbit of the Sun, and therefore spends approximately 40 days in each zodiac sign before moving on.

Masculinity Unleashed

Whether you’re a man or a woman, Mars in your chart represents the masculine side of your nature, just as Venus represents the feminine side. Where Mars is, that’s where your buttons are – where you’re most likely to lose your temper, get angry, see red and create arguments.

However, Mars is also where your strongest drives lie. The sign and house position of Mars show us where you are your most determined and energetic – Mars is the most physically energetic of all planets, and also the most ambitious.

One things Mars absolutely must do at all costs is to win. The way he wins depends on the sign which filters Mars’ energy in your chart. Because Mars energy is so active, it’s very much a case of act first, think later wherever this planet is involved.

On the day you were born Mars rose in Capricorn.

Mars in Capricorn

If you have Mars in Capricorn, you are blessed with an incredible amount of drive. You have a will to succeed which is among the strongest in the zodiac, and you will use all of your powers of determination to get to wherever it is that you want to go.

You also have exceptional powers of endurance, and your spirit can cope with very difficult situations for very long times without being dampened. In this way, there is something of the eternal optimist about you, despite Capricorns reputation as a pessimistic energy. You never, ever give up hope, and you keep pushing forwards.

With an outstanding talent for business and entrepreneurship, you will aim to succeed either in the corporate world or in self employment. You are not afraid of hard work, and in fact will work at all hours of the day and night, sometimes to the despair of your partner or family members. You find their disapproval hard to stomach, because, after all, you are doing it for them. Criticisms of your work ethic are hurtful to you.

Definitely with the potential to rise to the top of your chosen field, you will excel as a boss when you get there. Authoritarian your leadership style may be, but its also spiced up with a definite flair. People follow you because you know what you are doing, and it shows. This kind of powerful charisma is a bit of a mystery to you, and you are not sure how you have it, but it does allow you to harness the drives of others, as well as your own, which in turn helps you take huge leaps at an even greater pace.

Your Outer Planets

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

Jupiter

Astrologically, Jupiter is usually a very positive planet. In mythology, Jupiter was the Roman King of the Gods, and was fond of hurling thunderbolts – the astrological Jupiter, however, is a more benevolent energy and doesn’t so much throw thunderbolts as scatter luck and opportunities.

Jupiter takes approximately 12 years to orbit the Sun, spending more or less a year in each sign. It’s a masculine energy, and a very generous and tolerant one too.

Finding Your Purpose

In the natal chart, Jupiter tells us a lot about your ideology, your beliefs and your values, but he also tells us where you can best make a difference in life – where your true purpose might lie. Jupiter’s energies are expansive, welcoming and adventurous, and he is the planet of broad-mindedness. Jupiter’s energies, like all planets, are filtered through the various zodiac signs, but his house position often hints at the area of life where we are truly drawn to share generously, and to express (and seek) wisdom.

Jupiter is also about fairness and justice, so look to this planet in your chart to see where you might yearn to counter injustice and to seek redress for yourself or for others.

Jupiter seeks knowledge, and as such this planet is associated with higher learning and study, and all matters pertaining to education. Jupiter shows what our life philosophy looks like, and where and how in life we seek fairness and justice.

Jupiter’s energies are optimistic by default. This is not a planet of pessimism, or despair. Jupiter brings hope to the chart. His reputation as the planet of luck is true to a certain extent, but this is luck that we make ourselves by seizing the opportunities afforded to us – and Jupiter shows where in life those opportunities are likely to arise.

Because Jupiter is concerned with the whole, not with little parts, he gifts us the chance to see the big picture. Where Jupiter’s energies are at work, we can rise above petty details, and indeed petty differences, to embrace the end goal, the vision, the dream. Jupiter is also important for our sense of humor, and to some extent his placing in the chart indicates how we are likely to make others laugh – this planet is nothing if not jovial and joyful.

Jupiter was in Cancer on your birthday.

Jupiter in Cancer

If you were born with Jupiter in Cancer, you are one of the zodiacs true humanitarians. The kindness and sympathy of Cancer blends well with Jupiters pursuit of justice, and you will always, always be on the side of the underdog. You have exceptional intuition, and you are an outstanding judge of character too.

Very caring and very willing to help, you do find yourself sometimes taking on far too much of other peoples worries and problems, leaving you with too little time or energy to focus on your own life.

When it comes to religion and philosophy, you are flexible, changeable and tolerant, but often so open-minded as to be a little bit lost. You change your mind on these subjects frequently, according to your prevailing mood at the time, and others may find your lack of consistency to be surprising or confusing.

Your love of learning extends into your home and family, and you probably have a house filled with books, and an enthusiasm to teach your children above and beyond anything they may experience at school. Imaginative and creative, you sometimes find it hard to tell where reality ends and fantasy begins, however.

Saturn

Named after the Roman god of time, Saturn is associated in astrology with limitation, restraint and constraint. These associations came about because Saturn was, in ancient times, the most distant planet viewable with the naked eye and represented the edge of the known universe. Over time, the planet also became associated with responsibility and durability, karma, age and wisdom.

Saturn takes almost 30 years to complete one orbit of the Sun, and as such spends approximately two and a half years in each zodiac sign.

Patience, Endurance, Stability

Saturn has an undeserved reputation as the wet blanket planet, but in fact we look to Saturn’s place in the birth chart to find a lot of positive information too. Where Saturn is tells us where you have the most patience and staying power in life.

The Saturn Cycle

Saturn is known as the Great Teacher, and in this way we can be sure that this great planet does not throw anything at us which we cannot cope with – but it may well not feel like that at the time. Because of the way Saturn forces us to overcome problems, we do usually emerge from a Saturn encounter as stronger, more grown individuals, but boy does he make it hard work along the way!

As such a slow moving planet, Saturn has a strong influence over different stages of our lives. At approximately 7 years old, the transiting Saturn squares its natal position, and this marks the end of “young” childhood and the emergence of the maturing child. At around 14 years of age, transiting Saturn opposes its natal position, and it’s typically around this age that adolescents start to feel the effects of puberty and the loss of childhood. Another square occurs at the age of approximately 21, when we enter a new stage of life as young adults. The first “Saturn return”, when Saturn returns to the place it occupied at your birth, occurs at the age of approximately 28-30, and it’s at this time that most adults start to feel the real weight of responsibility, with houses, careers, mortgages, children and growing families.

This cycle then repeats again, and it’s interesting to note that the second Saturn return occurs in our late 50s, when there is another shift of stage to contemplate, as people begin to think about retirement.

Saturn sat in Scorpio on the day you were born.

Saturn in Scorpio

Both Saturn and Scorpio exude somewhat brooding vibes, so if you have Saturn in Scorpio there is probably a darker, moodier edge to your personality, even if the rest of your natal chart is otherwise quite light-hearted and outgoing. This is a powerful placing which confers a tremendous amount of will power and a fondness for discipline. What you set out to achieve, you achieve, no matter the cost.

With an outstanding head for business, you have a true instinct for what works and what doesnt, and you are an excellent entrepreneur, particularly in the financial or property markets. You give your all to what you do, but this can sometimes affect your life in unforeseen and quite negative ways. Its quite common for people with this placing to focus so determinedly on success that they forget to live along the way, and only truly appreciate what they have quite late in life. Its important therefore to learn to look up and smell the flowers occasionally.

Ruthlessness and jealousy are sometimes present in your professional life, and your inner voice can be just as hard on you as you are on others. Meditation and guided imagery can help to lessen this, and developing your softer side will help you channel your powerful emotions in a more positive way.

Uranus

Uranus the mythological figure has a rather checkered background – his incestuous relationship with his mother Gaia gave rise to the Titans, and he was castrated by Saturn. From his severed manhood, Aphrodite/Venus was born. Some of this chaos and confusion has led to Uranus being seen as the planet of perversion and deviation – in his more positive guise, however, Uranus is known to us as the planet of rebellion, innovation, originality and independence

Uranus takes 84 years to complete one orbit of the Sun, spending approximately 7 years in each zodiac sign. For this reason, its influence in the birth chart is often seen as a generational one, because everyone born within that time period will have Uranus in the same sign. However, his house position is significant on an individual level and certain aspects or chart positions can make Uranus a much more important planet in any given chart.

Discovery and Eccentricity

Another of Uranus’ guises is as the space age or science fiction planet. Where we find Uranus in the chart is where we like to push the boundaries and to move beyond what is thought to be possible. This can manifest either as charming eccentricity, or as very real innovative talent – people with a strong Uranus are very often ahead of their time, in more ways than one.

Uranus has strong links with humanitarianism, and this innovation and idea creation often manifests in a socially just or conscious manner. Fairness is a big deal to this planet, and where he resides in the birth chart we often work hard to make things better.

Surprise is in the nature of Uranian energy. Sometimes this planet brings good surprises; more often than not he brings shocks. You never quite know what you’re going to get with Uranus, so it’s best to be prepared.

Uranus ruled Cancer on your birthday.

Uranus in Cancer

Uranus spends around seven years in each zodiac sign, so other people born several years before or after you will all also, most likely, have Uranus in Cancer. For this reason, we consider it a generational influence rather than necessarily a personal one. If Uranus is particularly strong in your chart, however if it is your ruling planet, if your Sun, Moon or Ascendant sign is Aquarius, or if Uranus makes a particularly strong aspect to your Sun, Moon or Ascendant then you may feel these effects on a more personal level.

Those born with Uranus in Cancer tend to be very moody, unpredictable and erratic in their behavior. Quirky and original, these souls have a very definite creative streak, but embody the difficult artist kind of stereotype. Sometimes these individuals do struggle with a desire to express their emotions versus a desire to keep themselves to themselves. Logic and intuition clash here, and it can be difficult for the Uranus in Cancer person to know whether to follow their head or their heart.

Neptune

Neptune was the Roman god of the sea, and there is much about this which makes sense for the astrological Neptune. Water is slippery and elusive, beautiful and mystifying, ever changing and shifting, at once both necessary and dangerous – and so are the influences the planet Neptune brings to the astrological chart.

Neptune takes 164 years to complete one orbit of the Sun, and so spends approximately 13 or 14 years in each sign. Like Uranus and Pluto, the other outer planets, Neptune’s influence in the birth chart is considered a generational one unless something in the chart indicates a greater importance for this planet.

Dreams Versus Illusions

In the natal chart, Neptune tells us a great deal about where our most mystical instincts lie. Neptune is the planet which sprinkles fairy tale magic into our lives, and she is also the planet of the whimsical and the mysterious. We look for this influence in the house position of Neptune, since her sign position is largely generational.

There is a point where dreams become illusions, and at that point Neptune’s influence becomes less fairy tale and more nightmare. When Neptune is very strong in a chart, the ability to tell reality from illusion can become blurred – these are the kinds of people who are highly gullible and often taken advantage of by others, despite or perhaps because of their kindness and compassion.

Neptune is strongly associated with the arts, so we also look to this planet as an indication of artistic talent, be it in music, art, dance, words or acting. The imagination is always inspired by this mystical planet, and Neptune is strong in the charts of many great fiction writers and playwrights.

Neptune was in Libra on the day you were born.

Neptune in Libra

Neptune spends around 14 years in each zodiac sign, and takes 168 years to complete one cycle of the zodiac. Because it spends so long in each sign, it is considered a generational, background influence unless Neptune is personalized in your chart. If you have a Pisces Sun, Moon or Ascendant, or if Neptune makes a strong aspect to your Sun, Moon or Ascendant, you may feel its effects more strongly.

Neptune was in Libra from 1942 to 1957. This generation became the hippies of the 60s, on a never ending quest for peace, which is exactly what we would expect when idealistic Neptune falls in diplomatic Libra. On a personal level, this placing causes someone to be slightly out of touch with reality, almost in a world of their own. Unable to cope with the harshness of real life, these gentle souls can retreat into a make believe world where everything is so much easier. Unfortunately, the demands of the modern world mean they have to leave their fairytale castles in order to make a living or deal with family responsibilities, but Neptune in Libra people often find escape through reading or writing fantasy fiction.

Pluto

The outermost of all of the planets, Pluto takes an astonishing 248 years to orbit the Sun. His orbit is erratic, however, and so Pluto spends between 11 and 32 years in each sign of the zodiac, making this planet very much a generational influence in the birth chart unless it is personalized.

Pluto was the god of the underworld in Greek mythology. His realm was beneath ground, and the planet which bears his name is associated with things buried deep in our subconscious and unconscious minds. Psychological difficulties are very much the domain of the astrological Pluto, as are power games and seduction, due to the god’s rather racy reputation.

That Which is Hidden

In the natal chart, Pluto’s house position helps to reveal that which is hidden from us, or by us. This planet is associated with crime, secrets and conspiracies, and with death and destruction. Bringing to light that which Pluto controls is never an easy process, and it always brings pain – but through that pain, we grow and we learn.

Think of Pluto’s energies as being similar to the Tower card in the tarot – he destroys and he tears down, but in doing so he clears the ground for us to start again. Pluto’s influences in the birth chart are complex and can manifest in both positive and negative ways.

The key is to understand the potential growth behind such actions, and to try to get a handle on what Pluto is teaching us in each situation.

On your birthday, Pluto ruled Leo.

Pluto in Leo

Pluto moves exceptionally slowly, taking almost 250 years to move through the whole zodiac, spending as few as 13 years in some signs or as many as 32 in others. For this reason, it is considered a background, generational influence on your chart. If, however, you have a Sun, Moon or Ascendant in Scorpio, or if Pluto makes an important aspect to these areas of your chart, then you may feel its effects on a more personal level.

Pluto was in Leo between 1937 and 1957. This generation saw what happens when Plutos need for power clashes with Leos need to rule, and some dreadful conflicts were endured. However, some great leaders emerged from these times of trouble, expressing the purest and highest of this planet and sign combination. Many Pluto in Leo souls are frustrated leaders, in fact, who try to seize control of their relationships, their work or their families, with little success. Becoming obsessed with power is a danger with this placement, and those who cannot get power on a grand scale may settle for power at a much smaller level, perhaps becoming cruel or manipulative in their daily lives. Remember, however, that for most people, this is a faint background influence only.